Finally, there are the side shoots to be pruned. Their pruning consists in shortening the part that grew during the previous summer by one-third, if they are only moderately strong, or by one-half, or even two-thirds, if they are rather weakly. Then we come to deal with the main branches. It consists first of all in cutting out weakly and ill-placed shoots that tend to overcrowd and interfere with the development of the main branches that process is known as thinning out, and is a necessary preliminary to the actual pruning or cutting back. The orthodox method of pruning is much the same for all these forms of apple trees. There are five chief types of tree: the standard, which has a head of branches on a stem 5 feet to 6 feet high (the half standard is a similar tree on a shorter stem) the bush, which has a number of branches that arise near the base of the tree the pyramid, which has a central stem from which branches grow throughout its full length the cordon, which has one, two, or three stems, but no secondary branches, except the short side shoots on which the fruits are borne and trained trees (dealt with in a separate chapter). LET us first describe the orthodox pruning of an apple tree.
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